Sunday, January 25, 2015

Assyrian Empire: The Old and Middle Empire

The region of Mesopotamia catered numerous civilization. Among this civilization was the Assyrian. They played a long part in the geopolitics of the region. They rose thrice. They fell but resurfaced, seeing their apex during their third resurgence.

The
Assyrian Empire saw its beginning at the fertile lands of Mesopotamia. For
centuries, the area had been the location of the first civilizations of
mankind. The Sumerian, Akkadian, and Early Babylonians were just some that
thrived in the region. The Assyrians were a Semitic-speaking people that lived in
the northern parts of the Tigris River. Thanks to the rich soil of the Tigris,
the Assyrians were able to cultivate barley and grow their livestock. Their
bountiful harvests allowed them to develop into a number of city-states that
compete for power and survival in Mesopotamia.

The
history of the Assyrian Empire was classified into three distinct periods. The
first period was the Old Assyria that existed from 2000 to 1450 BCE. Following
the Old Assyria was the rise of Middle Assyria from 1363 to 1000 BCE. Lastly,
considered as the apex of the Assyrian Civilization was the New Assyria or
Neo-Assyrian Empire that existed from 1000 to 612 BCE. After the Neo-Assyrian
Empire that the Assyrians succumbed to the might of neighboring civilizations.

The
Old Assyrian Empire rose to prominence from the time between the 2000 to 1450
BCE. The Assyrians founded their own city-states just like the other people in
Mesopotamia. In 18th century BCE, the Assyrians began to rise in prominence in
the region under an Amorite king - Shamshi-Adad. He ruled the Assyrians from
1813 to 1781 BCE. In 1814 BCE, he captured one of the major Assyrian city of
Ashur. He continued his expansion until he captured the city-state of Mari on
the Euphrates River. It was also during this time that the Assyrians flourished
as great merchants. They developed a good trading relations with the people of
Anatolia and develop trading colonies like Cappadocia. One of the main trading
item was copper, one of the most highly valued commodities in Mesopotamia. The
trade also allowed the Assyrians to be informed about another resources that
the Anatolians had – iron. Iron later used by the Assyrians for their advantage
in warfare. The Old Assyrians maintained dominance of the region until the 17th
century. A new powerful force rose and replaced the Assyrians as the most
prominent civilization in Mesopotamia. The Early Babylonian Empire under the
rule of its judge-king Hammurabi. Hammurabi succeeded defeated the Assyrian
King Ishme-Dagan and weakened the empire tremendously. It never recovered and
in 1450 BCE, the Assyrians fell in the hands of the Mitannians.

The
subservience of the Assyrians, however, did not last long. Within less than a
century, the Assyrians again regained its power. In 1363 BCE, King
Ashur-Uballit I restored the independence of the Assyrians. He ruled the
Assyrians until he passed away in 1317 BCE. He fought the Mitannians for the
freedom of the Assyrians. He succeeded in doing so after seeking the help of
the Egyptians. Ashur-Ubalit created the Middle Assyrian Empire by creating an empire
centered in Ashur and extending its borders to the Euphrates River until it
reached a border with the Hittites in the west. He glorified his reign by
taking the title of “King of All”. After King Ashur-Ubalit I, the next great
leader of the Assyrian Empire was King Shalmaneser I who ruled from 1263 to
1233 BCE. He continued the expansion of the Assyrian Empire. It began to
acquire lands in Asia Minor. Under his rule, the capital of the Assyrian Empire
moved from Ashur to Nimrud, which lay between Ashur and Nineveh. He also began
the cruel policy of deportation of defeated people to new areas to avoid
rebellion. In 1233 BCE, Shalmaneser was succeeded by Tukulti-Ninurta I. He was
a good warrior king as his predecessors. He defeated the Kassites of the
Zagros Mountains, captured Babylon, and also began to subdue the Elamites.
However, the glory days of the Middle Assyrian Empire began to waver during the
11th century BCE. A people known as the Sea Peoples began to encroach to the
Assyrian territories. Attacks from Babylonians and Hittites exacerbated the
weakening of the Middle Assyrian Empire. But the attacks on the Middle Assyria
saw a break during the reign of King Tiglath-Pileser I. He ruled between 1115
up to 1077 BCE. His rule saw the expansion of the Assyrians up to the
Mediterranean Sea. Babylon, which rebelled and grew in strength previously fell
once again to the Assyrians. The Hittites were also pushed back under his
command. However, after his last breathe in 1077 BCE, the Assyrians battled to
defend its borders and fell once more in obscurity.

But
the Assyrian Empire was only warming up during the time of the Old and Middle
Assyrian periods. The Assyrians saw their apex at the time of brutal rulers of
the New Assyria or Neo-Assyrian Empire.